Berbera could give Washington an important Red Sea platform, but Somaliland should require diplomatic, security and economic commitments before granting strategic access.

WARYATV ASSESSMENT

U.S. Access to Berbera Must Deliver Security, Investment and Accountability

Berbera gives Somaliland unusual strategic leverage. Its port, long runway and position near the Bab el-Mandeb could support trade, maritime surveillance, counterterrorism and emergency operations across the Red Sea.

President Abdirahman Irro has invited deeper American engagement, including potential commercial and military access. But access to strategic infrastructure should not be exchanged for sympathetic speeches or informal assurances. Somaliland needs an agreement that produces lasting national benefits.

Recognition cannot be the only payment

Formal American recognition would be Somaliland’s preferred outcome, but negotiations should include practical gains that do not depend on Washington changing its diplomatic position immediately.

These could include a U.S. representative office in Hargeisa, a separate travel advisory, direct development financing, expanded security assistance and official treatment of Somaliland institutions as distinct operational partners.

A newly introduced Somaliland Travel and Investment Act directs the State Department to consider a Hargeisa office and separate travel guidance. These measures would make it easier for American organisations and businesses to operate in Somaliland even before recognition.

Berbera must produce local value

DP World has invested approximately $442 million in Berbera’s port. That development demonstrated what foreign capital can build, but Somaliland still needs greater trade volume, industrial activity and employment around the infrastructure.

Any new access agreement should therefore include:

guaranteed infrastructure investment;
employment and training targets for Somalilanders;
local procurement requirements;
predictable revenue arrangements;
support for the Berbera Corridor;
water, power and municipal investment;
environmental and community protections.

Without these provisions, Berbera could become strategically important to foreign governments without becoming sufficiently productive for the local economy.

Security access requires clear limits

Somaliland must know which forces and equipment would enter Berbera, which missions they would conduct and whether operations could make the territory a target in a wider regional war.

The agreement should define its duration, renewal procedure, legal jurisdiction, compensation requirements and termination provisions. Parliament should review it before ratification, while classified operational details could remain under appropriate oversight.

Somaliland should prioritise capabilities it needs itself: coastal radar, Coast Guard vessels, search-and-rescue capacity, counterterrorism training and protection against drones and missiles.